


Faithful Night

by sibley (ferns)



Series: Fern's Femslash February Fics [2]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Earth-19 (The Flash TV 2014), Established Relationship, F/F, Femslash February, Pre-Canon, Secret Relationship, a little more angst than anticipated, but not so bad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-23 13:15:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17684168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ferns/pseuds/sibley
Summary: Iris is beautiful illuminated by the streetlights. Their steady red glow makes her dark eyes glimmer. She looks the same as she does when lit by Cynthia’s powers. She looks like everything about her that Cynthia has ever loved.





	Faithful Night

**Author's Note:**

> Femslash February prompt for Bem (who does not have an ao3), who asked for Cindy/Iris with the prompt "Moon." This one strays a little to the heavier side, but it's not a sad fic, and it has a happy (or at least hopeful) ending.

The moon hangs low in the sky as Cynthia climbs out of her window, tugging her thick jacket close around her shoulders. It’s just a crescent-she knows she’s lucky it’s barely casting any light, and that the city around her is dim enough that nobody can see her from the ground. She clambers down from the Spire carefully, finding the footholds she’s always used even without light to guide her.

It’s a long way down, and while she can always catch herself with her powers, that will alert the security guards below, and even if it doesn’t, her father will be there before she can try to pretend she was never outside her room. He won’t punish her, he never would, but Cynthia wants this one thing to stay a secret. To stay  _ hers.  _ Not much else is.

It’s easy to get past the raptor guards and climb over the low wall that surrounds the Spire. As soon as she’s scaled it and dropped down onto the other side, she pulls the hat out of her pocket and tugs it over her curls, pulling her scarf up over her nose. It’s unlikely that anybody will recognize her. Almost nobody in Piradell knows her. But it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Cynthia heads for one of the small shops not far from the Spire. During the day, it sells pastries and cider and hot chocolate and things. It’s closed at night, but they keep one light on out in front. Cynthia can already see Iris there, waiting, hands in her pockets and rocking on her heels. She picks up the pace and practically crashes into her, wrapping her arms tightly around Iris’s shoulders and tucking her nose into Iris’s shoulder.

“You didn’t come last time,” Iris says, voice muffled by Cynthia’s dark red hat. “I was worried something happened to you. I thought...I thought  _ someone  _ had done something to you, and I would never even find out about it.”

“I’m sorry. New bars on the windows. It took me awhile to get them out,” Cynthia whispers. She clings to Iris just a little tighter, making sure she’s still there and not about to disappear. “I was worried about you, too.” It’s not the same. Iris isn’t in the same danger that she is, and if something happened to her,  _ she  _ would want Cynthia to know about it. Not the same thing. But worry is worry. She changes the subject. “How’s Wally?”

“Good.” Iris steps back and slips her gloved hand into Cynthia’s. It warms her down to her core. “The approval letter from QuickStart arrived yesterday, so he was out celebrating all last night with Jefferson and Francis. There was a little misunderstanding, he thought they were rejecting him at first, but it all worked out fine.”

Cynthia lets Iris pull her down the street and listens to her brag about her baby brother. Piradell’s lack of nightlife in this part of the city is a blessing. They don’t have to be afraid of anyone seeing them, and if someone does, it won’t be hard to lie about Cynthia’s identity. Iris won’t get in trouble for lingering on the streets too long after dark, and Cynthia won’t have to face her mother for the crime of sneaking out.

Iris is beautiful illuminated by the streetlights. Their steady red glow makes her dark eyes glimmer. She looks the same as she does when lit by Cynthia’s powers. She looks like everything about her that Cynthia has ever loved, even if the light is too dim and the shadows are too harsh for Cynthia to see things like the freckles on Iris’s cheeks and nose she loves to kiss, or the little scar up by her hairline, or  _ anything  _ that’s not abstract.

Once they get to the inner part of the city, Cynthia pulls her scarf up higher over her nose. There are more people here. Even though there’s a city-wide curfew, nobody has ever paid it much attention, not even the raptors who enforce it. They can slip into the crowds going from food cart to food cart and trading with each other and nobody will ever even realize they were there, but more people also means that people might realize who they are. Who she is. They have to be careful.

Still, even though the danger has increased, Iris relaxes once they’re both just faces in the crowd, and Cynthia follows her lead. Iris knows her way around. She grew up in this area with her mother and her brothers. There are quiet hiding spots among short, squat buildings that even the raptors don’t know about.

Iris tugs Cynthia back into the gap between two buildings and up into a doorway that’s completely tucked away and invisible from the street. One of those very same hiding spots. For a moment they just stand there, breathing together and watching the distant moon climb higher. It’s half-hidden by clouds. That’s lucky. It means more shadows for when Cynthia needs to break back into her room.

“I missed you, Cindy,” Iris finally says quietly. She steps just a little closer. “When you didn’t show up last time-I didn’t know if you’d come tonight.”

“I missed you, too. And I didn’t know if I would be able to get out tonight. Things have been getting…” Cynthia trails off. She doesn’t want to make Iris worry about her. (At least not any more than she already does.) “Nevermind. But I was thinking about you the whole time.”

Iris moves even closer and clasps their free hands together. “Do you think this is a good idea?” She asks softly. “Do you think we should stop doing this? Seeking each other? I don’t want you to get in trouble just because you’re coming to see me every week.”

Cynthia’s already shaking her head, squeezing Iris’s fingers tightly. “No. This is-this is my favorite part of the week. You’re the”-most wonderful, most beautiful, most amazing, smartest, kindest-“best person in my life. I love you. I’d rather keep risking  _ her  _ finding out about this than not seeing you altogether.” She hesitates. “Unless  _ you _ want to stop because of what might happen if she finds out about you and me, or what your side job is. I’d understand.”

Iris is silent for a long time. “No,” she says right as it becomes unbearable. “I don’t want to stop. I love seeing you, even when it’s in secret like this. I love  _ you  _ even when it’s in secret like this. I’m not afraid of her. If I was, I wouldn’t do… I wouldn’t do what I do. Does that make sense?”

Cynthia can’t resist kissing her in reply, long and slow and steady, pulling her farther into the shadows. For a moment, they’re not a rebellious princess who escapes every week in secret and a woman who sneaks messages from the rebellion back and forth. They’re just Cindy and Iris, standing in the shadows and holding on to each other.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm augustheart on tumblr-currently taking prompts for Femslash February 2019!


End file.
